As Promised, here’s Episode 1: The Space Within – the first installment of four DPS Cinematic Short Films. And here’s the official word from the DPS team: Exploring the tidepools of a deserted tropical beach, a young boy finds a mysterious treasure washed upon the rocks. ‘The Space Within’ whispers of another world, holding magic unlike anything he has seen… Read More

DPS Skis has just announced Volume IV of their ‘”Shadow Campaign” Film Series. As usual we can look forward to four new films. This year, the DPS Cinematic crew traveled to Kyrgyzstan, Japan and Alaska in search of adventure on snow. Individual episodes are scheduled for release on the third Thursday of September, October, November and December of 2017 –… Read More

It’s that time of year again. September is knocking at the door and the ski movie trailers are here to distract us from our precious workday schedules . . . Here’s what TGR has to say about their latest ski movie, Rogue Elements: Since the dawn of time, everything that has lived and breathed on this planet has been subject to… Read More

Voile Shovel and Probe Giveaway We’ve teamed up with Voile to give you a chance to win a Telepack-mini Shovel and Tourlight Avalanche Probe. Just sign up below for our e-news letter (sent more or less monthly) before December 4, 2016 and you will be entered into the drawing. If you already receive our e-news, you can still enter to win the shovels… Read More

Tuesday Time Waster – Candide Thovex Edit The weather seems to have turned toward fall as the calendar turned to September this year. The Northwest mountains have only seen a trace of snow but the cool temps and grey skies help fuel thoughts of the winter ahead. But who needs snow to ski. Apparently, Candide Thovex doesn’t. This clip is… Read More

THE THREAT: COPPER MINING IN THE UPPER METHOW The North Cascades of Washington hold some of the finest backcountry skiing in North America. In the northeast corner of the range sits the Methow Valley, a sleepy albeit “discovered” community surrounded by some the most inspiring terrain in the range. Anyone who has visited the valley, in summer or winter, knows what a rarity… Read More

The opportunity to ski a wide variety of backcountry skis back to back for direct comparisons is the foundation of our ski testing program and our subsequent ski review write-ups. This season’s fresh crop of backcountry skis includes a few highly regarded favorites like the Voile V6, the DPS Wailer 112 and the Volkl BMT 94 but it also includes… Read More

As a skier first and a mountaineer second, it’s not that often I use a harness while ski touring. But when the going gets technical or crevassed, you don’t want to be left wishing you had a harness with you. Here are two great ski mountaineering harnesses that give you no excuse to leave them at home. They are so… Read More

Spring ski testing is behind us! We tested and compared over 30 new backcountry skis in April. Everyone rolls their eyes when they hear how much work is involved with ski testing – kind of like saying, “. . . and then we had to try another beer to compare flavors . . .” Anyway, it is a fair bit of… Read More

Mount Hood is a Northwest mountaineering icon and offers climbing and ski descent routes for a wide range of ambitions from modest South Side routes to the technical North Chutes. If you have ever thought about climbing Mt Hood or have climbed it many times, check out our Mt. Hood Climbing Routes poster. The poster shows all of the classic… Read More

2016 Ski Reviews As winter fades, it’s time to release our 2016 ski reviews into the archives. If you’re still in the market for new skis, now is the time to score a deal on hold-over inventory. Take a look at what our ski reviews have to say and stock your quiver with an end of the season deal. We ski… Read More

The Wapta Traverse – A Canadian Rockies Classic High Pressure and bluebird conditions prevail and the views stretch as far as my eyes can see in all directions. Dozens of stunning, rocky peaks dressed in white vie for my attention. I wander the ridge toward the summit of a small peak near the Scott Duncan Hut and contemplate the surroundings…. Read More

What’s Your System? Managing Your Human Factor – Joe Stock I’ve never been caught in avalanche. Maybe it’s because I’m good at mountain travel. Maybe it’s because I maintain a healthy margin for error. Maybe it’s luck. In any case, I work hard to avoid avalanches. I’m in the snowy mountains most of winter. The odds are against me. One of the… Read More

It’s Always a Powder Day Somewhere The road comes and goes from my vision as the wind alternately whips the falling snow into a frenzy and wanes to let the flakes follow the call of gravity. I switch between my hi-beams and normal headlights in the hopes that the road comes into better focus as it unfolds beyond the windshield,… Read More